With the current ratio of three women (mostly single) to every man, Cardiff's Softball League is fast turning out to be a dating opportunity for social sporty Welsh males.
It's a trend in reverse of the rest of the UK, where leagues habitually place adverts for ladies. Cardiff softball is desperately in need of young sporty men to make up numbers in new teams being formed in 2007.
Maybe it's because we play with a round not oval ball, but Cardiff is unique.
Slowpitch softball is an amalgamation of the rules of US baseball with the underarm bowling of rounders. Teams are made up of five men and five women, hence the need for more males. The opportunity to bat comes along on a rota basis, irrespective of previous success. Each team has seven innings to bat and field, matches tend to last between 90 mins and 2 hours. The term Softball doesn't apply to the hard ball, which necessitates the fielding team wearing padded gloves.
In Cardiff, there's a level for everybody in the CSA. The league runs on a Tuesday and Wednesday night for experienced and beginners alike. What you get is ninety minutes of organised and safe competition, punctuated by banter between teams and team mates which is usually repeated throughout a couple of hours after the match.
The summer of 2007 does provide you with is the opportunity to wear that baseball cap in public without looking like a complete idiot! With the league's motto echoing the immortal words of Keith Barrett, "It's just a bit of fun", the league hopes to attract Cardiff's social sporting elite of both sexes.
For further details visit www.cardiffsoftball.com and click on Forum, where you will find details of teams seeking players or just advertise your availability.
David "Billy" Cotton - Cardiff - April 2007
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Hannah van der Schaaf
Hello,I am Hannah from the Netherlands. I must make a report for the sport softball!! Can you tell me about this sport?
Bekki from Norwich
Hey! I'm a player for the U16 Great Britain international team. I only started playing softball about 2 months ago and I absolutely LOVE it. I recently had my first game for GB in Southampton where I played an fastpitch exhibition match against the Other GB team - massive fun and the crowd was amazing. The team are so supportive and never put you down if you mess up. I'd recommend softball to anyone because it's just such a fun game, you can build new skills and make new friends. The BEST sport I've played for sure!!
Darrell Shephard, Dapto, NSW, Australia
We are visiting Wales from 15th June. Hope to call in and meet some fellow Softballers.
Mr O from Merthyr
Hello! I'm a player with the Cardiff Cubs. I had never played softball before last summer but after joining a team of "randoms" I really enjoyed it. We all seemed to get on well, the hot weather helped with the post-match drinks in the Mochyn Du and the social side of things carried on when the season ended. Season's just about to start again and am looking forward to it. I'd recommend anyone join up. It's as intense as you want to make it, you don't have to be an Olympic athlete (I know this from personal experience) and it's in a great location (5mins walk from the Mochyn Du!)
Have you ever played softball? How does it compare to baseball or rounders?
